PARAMOUNT PICTURES ROCK CINEMACON!
LOOK OUT SUMMER – GREAT STORIES, GREAT PLOTS, GREAT MOVIES!
The film, Bey said, has been in his head for years, and he wanted to make a smaller picture, and smaller it was, with a pricetag of only $25 million, but the film is a tour de force of black humor and screenwriting that creates a new genre of film. Wahlberg and Johnson are trainers at a gym who kidnap a member to hold him hostage, but this film goes where no film has gone before. Hilarious is not an effectual description for this story, it is damn outrageously effective in drawing laughs, none of which are cheap momentary laughs, but a part of a perfect story and done with lines and acting what would have made the Marx Brothers proud. This script about a pack of guys with less than a full deck of gray matter is quality, and Wahlberg and Johnson are a new dynamic duo that could surely see further adventures.
Bey also made the announcement that the next “Transformers” will feature Wahlberg in the lead and be what he feels is the best of the series. Bey said the story and script are far beyond the ones done in the past.
But Paramount didn’t stop there. They have some of the biggest pictures of summer coming to the screen, including “Star Trek – Into Darkness,” which moves the bar beyond simple sci-fi, and brings the story and character arcs to boldly seek out and find places we couldn’t have thought or dreamed of going. It is a film that is both entertainment and a perfect display of great screenwriting, with twists, turns, and more awesome action than Magic Mountain.
Chris Pine returns as Captain James Kirk, along with the cast, but the writing in this one take this movie beyond wonderful escapism and gives us a dramatic piece of Kirk actually coming of age and the result is a profound and touching film, as well as a “Star Trek” adventure for the ages. Pine grew up loving William Shatner as Kirk, but Pine said he created his view of an early Kirk after some conversations with Shatner, who told him to create his own, and Pine is as memorable here as Shatner. Well, almost,
but it’s only number two in the new “Star Trek” series, and how they can top this one will be question, it is brilliant, stunning, and so memorable, the way movies ought to be.
Paramount has another hilarious comedy in “Anchorman 2,” starring Will Ferrell and twice as funny, poignant, and just damn better than the first one, if that were possible. This one doesn’t take us where most sequels go, but brings in new characters, plots and good story to make this a class act instead of a one horse pony show. Ferrell is at his funniest in his own world, and instead of a contrived plot to fit around him, his fine comedic talent works this story.
But leave it to Paramount, home of “The Godfather,” to come up with perhaps the movie of the summer, “World War Z (WWZ),” a thrilling, and when I write thrilling I mean a
pull your hair out scrape your nails thrilling film that will literally take your breath away on a journey like no other ever done on film.
“WWZ” stars Brad Pitt and is the non-stop story of hordes of zombies attacking the world. Sounds simple. But no-o-o-o-o-o way is this simple. These zombies are the
scariest ever presented as the only mission of these non-stop hordes of monsters is to bite a person to infect them, turning one into a snarling, rabid horror. And infect millions they do, with an unceasing rage of mobs on humanity swarming the planet. The resulting infection of billions will cause you to grip the seat, the person sitting next to you, or even to run out for a shot of tequila to calm your nerves, because in “WWZ” the action and the tension soar to a gut churning level of conflict that will take your heart and soul along with it. It is simple all right – a simply great film with characters that will tear your heart out and a story that brings us to the edge of the end of mankind. Be prepared to hold your breath for two hours, it is that good. And it stars Brad Pitt!
Paramount was the beginning and raised the standard for others, and Hollywood seems to have realized that moviegoers want plots and characters that are moving and unforgettable. So far no formula film here, just great work reflecting perfection from directors, cast and crew, and writers. Good scripts with clever ideas and depth are the path Hollywood is on, and Paramount leads the way.
